Kelly, the long-time publisher of the Hood River News, suffered the attack in his home in Provo, Utah. He was taken to Utah Valley Medical Center where surgery was done the next day.

"I woke up with an excruciating pain, clear across my chest," he said. "I knew right away what was going on."

Kelly, 47, an avid skier, said his cardiac condition is believed to be genetic, and that his physical conditioning and healthy lifestyle enabled his heart to withstand the arrest.

He is at home in Provo and walking a half-mile to mile each day, and will meet next week with his cardiologist to help determine how soon he might return to work. He expects it to be within about two months.

Kelly is general manager of NewsNet, the consolidated newsroom for communication department at Brigham Young University, overseeing the school's television news, daily newspaper, web site and radio operations.

"My long-term treatment is still being sorted out," he said.

"You learn from this that you're lucky to be alive," Kelly said. "I feel like, gosh, this is great, I get a reassessing period, and that's okay."